Effect of Seeding Rates on Productivity and Quality of Alfalfa in Northern Area of Korea

Alfalfa cultivation in South Korea is not common. There are many reasons, but low productivity has been extremely limited. Although alfalfa growth was poor due to boron deficiency in the soil, the problem has recently been solved. Nevertheless, the cultivation of alfalfa is not expanding. About 200,000 tonnes of alfalfa hay are imported every year. Therefore, this study was conducted to find a way to replace imported hay by expanding alfalfa cultivation in Korea. Alfalfa (P5444) was sown in northern part of South Korea (Pyeongchang). Alfalfa was sown in September 2018 with different seeding rates (20, 30 and 40 kg/ha) and harvested four times in 2019 (3 May, 2 July, 11 September and 13 October). The plant height was the highest at the 3rd harvest (113 cm) and the dry matter content was the highest at the 1st harvest (27.89 %). The yield of fresh and dry matter was the highest at the first harvest (mean 6,856 kg/ha). Annual fresh and DM productivity was significantly higher in 40 kg/ha seeding rates (89,833 and 20,265 kg/ha). Crude protein (CP) content in forage quality was higher than 27% at the 4th harvest and the lowest by 13% at the 3rd harvest. Crude protein, ADF and NDF contents did not show significant difference (P\u3e 0.05) according to the increase of seeding rate. TDN content of alfalfa was not significantly different among treatments (P \u3e 0.05), but was highest at the 4th harvest (66.98 %) and lowest at the 3rd harvest (44.44 %). The relative feed value (RFV) of alfalfa was highest at the 4th fourth harvest (mean 146) and lowest at the 3rd harvest (mean 83). However, there was no significant difference among the seeding rates (average 120). In conclusion, the possibility of alfalfa production in Korea is sufficient and 40 kg/ha seeding rate is recommended